This Land is Your Land realized in Yiddish

דאָס לאַנד איז דַײן לאַנד פֿון װּודי גאָטרי, 1940

פֿאַרטַײטשט פֿון ליבע גריץ און דניאל קאַהן

מיט חײם באָכנער, מײשקע אַלּפערט, און דזשאַש װאַלעצקי

כ’האָב מיר געװאַנדערט, אין אַ לאַנד אַ פֿרַײען אַרױס פֿון מידבר, װי ממצרים

געזוכט אַ נַײעם ירושלים

דאָס איז אַ לאַנד פֿאַר מיר און דיר

רעפֿרען: 

דאָס לאַנד איז דַײן לאַנד דאָס לאַנד איז מַײן לאַנד

פֿון קאַליפֿאָרניע ביז עליס אַײלאַנד

פֿון די גרױסע אָזערעס ביז די ברײטע ימען 

דאָס איז אַ לאַנד פֿאַר מיר און דיר

איך גײ אַריבער די בערג און טעלער 

אַרומגערינגעלט פֿון זיסע קעלער

 די ריטשקעס מורמלען, די פֿײגל זינגען

 דאָס איז אַ לאַנד פֿאַר מיר און דיר

כ’זע אַ גרױסן מױער מיט אַ שילד װאָס װאָרנט 

װיל מען אַרַײנעט, שטײט אַז מע’ טאָר ניט 

נאָר אױף יענער זַײט, שטײט דאָרטן גאָרניט

 אָט איז די זַײט פֿאַר מיר און דיר

גײ איך מיר װאָגלען, די זון פֿון אױבן

נאָר בײזע װינטן צעבלאָזן שטױבן

דורך די טומאַנען הער איך געזאַנגען

דאָס איז אַ לאַנד פֿאַר מיר און דיר

אױף נאַסע גאַסן, אין טיפֿע שאָטנס 

זע איך װי מענטשן בעטן נדבֿות 

בַײ אַזאַ דלות, טו איך זיך קלערן

צי דאָס איז אַ לאַנד פֿאַר מיר און דיר

עס קען שױן קײנער אונדז ניט פֿאַרשטערן 

די פֿרַײע װעגן אונדז ניט פֿאַרװערן 

ניטאָ קײן צאַמען, ווען נאָר צוזאַמען

דאָס איז אַ לאַנד פֿאַר מיר און דיר

This Land is Your Land Transliterated

 

https://savethemusic.com/video/this-land-isyour-

land-in-yiddish/  Lyrics 1940

Transliterated Lyrics

(Daniel:)Kh’hob mir gevandert in a land a frayen

Aroys fun midber, vi mi-mitsrayem,

Gezukht a nayem Yerushalayem,

Dos iz a land far mir un dir.

(REFREN:)Dos land iz dayn land, dos land iz mayn landFun Kalifornye biz Elis Ayland,Fun di groyse oz’res biz di breyte yamen,Dos iz a land far mir un dir.

(Sarah:)Ikh gey ariber di berg un teler,

Arumgeringlt fun zise keler.

Di ritshkes murmlen, di feygl zingen:

Dos iz a land far mir un dir.

(Lorin w/ piano:)Kh’ze a groysn moyer mit a shild vos vornt:

Vil men araynet, shteyt az me tor nit!

Nor af yener zayt, shteyt dortn gornit  

Ot iz di zayt far mir un dir.

(Sveta & Patty w/accordion:)Gey ikh mir voglen, di zun fun oybn,

Nor beyze vintn tseblozn shtoybn,

Durkh di tumanen, her ikh gezangen:

Dos iz a land far mir un dir.

(Michael:)Af nase gasn, in tife shotns,

Ze ikh vi mentshn betn nedoves

Bay aza dales, darf ikh zikh klern

Tsi dos iz a land far mir un dir.

(Linda and all:)Es ken shoyn keyner undz nit farshtern,

Di fraye vegn undz nit farvern.

Nito keyn tsamen, ven nor tsuzamen.

Dos iz a land far mir un dir.

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Literal translation of the Yiddish: 

I wandered into a free countryOut of the desert, as though from Egypt,Looking for a new Jerusalem,This is a country for me and you.

This is your country,This is my country, From California to Ellis Island,From the Great Lakes to the wide seas,This is a country for me and you.

I walk over mountains and valleys, Surrounded by sweet voices.The streams murmur, the birds sing:This is a country for me and you.

I see a big wall with a sign that warns:If you want to enter, it says it’s forbidden

But on the other side, it says nothing,That is the side for you and me.

I go wandering, the sun above, But evil winds are blowing dust,

Through the haze, I hear singing:This is a country for me and you.

On wet streets, in deep shadows, I see people begging for change.To see such poverty, I wonder If this is a country for me and you.

There’s no one who can stop us,Or forbid us the paths of freedom.There are no barriers, if we are united.This is a country for me and you.

FROM THE YIDDISH PHILHARMONIC CHORUS WITH BINYUMEN SCHAECHTER

Binyumen Schechter conducts the Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus in Two Songs based on poems by Itzik Manger.  All have subtitles:

1. Afn veg shteyt a boym

(On the Road Stands a Tree)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrMjgUuWnbg

2. Unter di khurves fun Poyln/Dolye mayne, dolye

(Under the Ruins of Poland)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoaXGh_b5AU

or: "Dolye mayne, dolye" ("Fate of Mine, Fate")

Words: Itzik Manger (1901-1969); Melody: Shaul Berezovsky (1908-1975)

Choral arrangement: Mark Zuckerman (1996)

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These two are also from the  Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus:

For Passover Echad Mi Yodea 

1. Mu adabru, mu asapru: "Echad Mi Yodea" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq4RUs27Eas

2.  Rumenye (Romania) !!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoRKjL98qYY

                                                                                    

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A Note about Woody Guthrie and Aliza Greenblatt

While the Yiddish version of This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie (and posted here) appears to have the work of other translators, I did not want to neglect to mention that Woody Guthrie, who wrote this and so many other songs, was the son-in-law of Aliza Greenblatt, a well-known Yiddish poet.   They reportedly had a close relationship and I'm still trying to learn more about this!   

Read more about her here: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliza_Greenblatt

And scroll past the "merchandise" to read this interesting account: 

https://www.woodyguthrie.org/merchandise/klezmatics.htm

Here's an excerpt from that website:

The Yiddish Connection

Guthrie’s Jewish lyrics can be traced to the unusual collaborative relationship he had with his mother-in-law, Aliza Greenblatt, a prominent Yiddish poet who lived across from Guthrie and his family in Brooklyn in the 1940s. Guthrie – the Oklahoma troubadour – and Greenblatt – the Jewish wordsmith – often discussed their artistic projects and critiqued each other’s works, finding common ground in their shared love of culture and social justice, despite very different backgrounds. Their collaboration flourished in 1940s Brooklyn, where Jewish culture was interwoven with music, modern dance, poetry and anti-fascist, pro-labor activism. 

Woody Guthrie’s Jewish lyrics came as a surprise to Nora Guthrie, director of the Woody Guthrie Archives and Woody’s daughter. She became aware of his connection to Judaism only recently, in a chance encounter with the Klezmatics and Itzhak Perlman. Following a concert at Tanglewood, where (unbeknownst to Nora) Perlman and the band had performed some of Greenblatt’s Yiddish songs, Guthrie was introduced to Perlman as “Aliza’s granddaughter.” She recalls, “All my life, I’ve been introduced as Woody’s daughter, Arlo’s sister and Marjorie Mazia’s daughter…but this was the first time I’d ever been introduced as ’Aliza Greenblatt’s granddaughter!’ Then Itzhak asked me how I liked his version of Aliza’s song – I almost fell through the floor. I never knew she wrote songs – I always thought she was just my Bubbie!” The revelation about her grandmother’s history encouraged Nora Guthrie to bring her father’s Jewish songs to light, and she enlisted the Klezmatics – one of the world’s preeminent klezmer groups – in the project that comes to fruition in this concert at the 92nd Street Y.

The Klezmatics perform around the world, and wrote music for Tony Kushner’s A Dybbuk and Pilobolus Dance Theater’s Davenen. They have recorded twice with Itzhak Perlman and collaborated with poet Allen Ginsberg and Morocco’s Master Musicians of Jajouka. Their latest CD, Rise Up! Shteyt Oyf! (Rounder) was released in September to critical acclaim, particularly for their bilingual version of Holly Near's anti-fundamentalist "I Ain't Afraid."

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